Finch & Co - Catalogue 21

[13] A Double Sided Seychelles Coco De Mer of Female Form 19th Century s i z e: 28.5 cm high, 28 cm wide, 15 cm deep – 11¼ ins high, 11 ins wide, 6 ins deep s e e: Finch & Co catalogue no. 3, item no. 35, catalogue no. 15, item no. 31 and catalogue no. 19, item no. 21, for other examples.

Regarded as erotic objects for over three hundred years, coco de mer are the largest and heaviest known seed in the world. Originally found by chance drifting in the currents of the Indian Ocean they were believed to be an aphrodisiac because of their curiously suggestive female form. European sailors and merchant voyagers returning to port would gain a high price for their shapely double coconuts eagerly sought after by princely collectors.